BAGHDAD -- Iraqis took to the streets in Maysan Province on Saturday for a fresh round of protests against the continued closure of the al-Sheyb (Chazzabeh) border crossing with Iran, escalating a standoff that has exposed the government’s vulnerability to U.S. pressure at the expense of livelihoods dependent on Iranian imports.
Protesters gathered on the road leading to the crossing, demanding its immediate reopening and warning of further escalation if Baghdad fails to respond. 
Iraqi state media reported that demonstrators threatened to block oil tankers bound for oil companies, a move aimed at forcing relevant authorities to act. 
The protesters also called for urgent government intervention to end the crisis, cautioning that their actions would intensify absent a resolution.
The crossing, known as al-Sheyb in Iraq and Chazzabeh in Iran, was ordered shut on Oct. 21 without a stated reason or a timetable for reopening. Iraqi government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi attributed the closure to technical deficiencies, saying trade with Iran continues through other crossings.
Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein on Saturday publicly confirmed that Washington formally requested the closure of all but two of Iraq’s border crossings with Iran, offering the first official acknowledgment of details previously disclosed only by political sources and sharply contradicting the prime minister’s office’s earlier denials.
The official explanation had been widely disputed. A government source told Al-Ain News that the closure followed a message from the U.S. Treasury Department demanding that Baghdad seal its borders with Iran, with Washington later proposing that only two crossings remain open—one in the north and one in the center. 
The source said Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi conveyed the demand during his visit to New York for the UN General Assembly, where U.S. envoy Tom Barrack framed the measure as part of a policy of economic pressure on Iran. A KDP lawmaker also told Kurdistan24 that Baghdad shut the crossing at Washington’s request.
The closure has struck at the economic lifeline of Maysan Province, where residents depend heavily on Iranian goods for basic supplies. 
The crossing serves as the primary entry point for most goods, commodities, and foodstuffs into Amarah and the rest of the province. 
Local officials estimate that approximately 4,000 people depend directly or indirectly on the crossing for their livelihoods. Truck drivers, taxi operators, and border workers have seen their incomes evaporate.
Prices in local markets have risen sharply since the closure. Residents have reported that the cost of basic vegetables and fruits has climbed significantly, with the poor bearing the brunt of the disruption. 
Tribal leaders have warned that the closure has “cut off the livelihoods of thousands of people” dependent on cross-border trade.
Iraqi parliament member Javad al-Saadi warned that keeping the border closed harms Iraq more than Iran. Another lawmaker, Haider al-Fawadi, said the closure was carried out under foreign pressure and that “we should not listen to these foreign orders”. 
The Friday prayer leader of Baghdad, Ayatollah Yasin al-Mousavi, warned against hasty economic decisions that increase pressure on poor and low-income citizens.
The political tension escalated when Maysan Provincial Council chief Mustafa Daeer Muhammedawi threatened civil disobedience and warned the province would be “cut off from all of Iraq” unless the crossing reopened. The prime minister’s office filed a complaint, and an Iraqi court subsequently issued an arrest warrant against him.